DAY 753-757

Sept 25-29

1) After yet another busy week, I am finally marginally "free" to update my blog as usual. This semester, the workload has definitely piled up - we finished the entire Tropical Medicine module (one of four modules for this semester) in just five days! Now we're well on our way to finishing our second module (GIHEP), and we've even started the third module (REGUB). Before our first exam (on 8th Oct), we will have started our fourth and final module (CNSLF).

2) On Monday, some members of the Malaysian Medical Council came over to our college to have a casual talk with us, as part of the accreditation process for RUMC (that's RCSI-UCD Malaysia Campus; which used to be called PMC - Penang Medical College). As I understand, the process of accreditation for medical schools is done once every five years, and seeing as the last time we had one was in 2012, it was time for a new report.

3) Professor Raymond, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UKM (National University of Malaysia), began the informal session by asking us questions regarding our studies and life here in Dublin. So we talked about our experience, our assessments, modules, summer research and observerships, and overall opinion on the quality of the school. They asked us on our practical skills exposure, OSCE's, use of "gamification" in teaching (to make lessons fun I presume XD).

4) It was a short but meaningful interview, as we got the opportunity to share our experiences and personal skills gained during our stay here in Ireland. After the session (and the group photo which I requested and they obliged), the panel were brought for a short tour of the facilities in the Smurfit Building. We went to the tutorial rooms, the new extension of the Smurfit Building, the library, and the two main lecture theatres. After that, they had to make a move, so after thanking them, we left as well.

5) The rest of the week has pretty much been the same. I've enjoyed sessions practising our "memory recall" with Joshua and Ishtar over lunch, and hopefully we'll do more of that in the future. It's been an eventful and productive week, so looking forward to more of the same in the upcoming week. It's cheerios for now, and until the next one. Thanks for reading, and have a nice weekend. Cheers! :D

Group photo with Professor Dato' Dr. Raymond Azman Ali, and members of the MMC Accreditation Team

Vegetable lasagna with stuffing and corn - complemented perfectly with the savoury brown sauce!

That was some incredible tuna salad with egg and cheese and greens ^^

Tutorial Room 6, of the new extension of Smurfit Building

(all mine today! :))

One more for the record :)

DAY 746-752

Sept 18-24

1) Last Fri (Sept 21) was Culture Night 2018, and various venues and public spaces across the island opened their doors to host a programme of free late-night entertainment, as part of an all-island celebration of arts, heritage and culture.

2) Not wanting to miss out on this wonderful opportunity, Zi Yan and I decided to visit the Book of Kells, conveniently located at Trinity College, Dublin. So we met up at RCSI Main Campus (in town) in the afternoon. It really has been such a long time since I've visited the main library - where I spent most of my waking hours studying at last year. Anyway, we went to have buffet dinner at a place that I haven't gone before - called Mongolian Barbeque.

3) The conditions are simple - just pick all the meat and veggies that you like into a bowl, add sauces and condiments, spices etc, and hand it to the cook who stir fries it in front of a huge semicircular hot plate. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet, so multiple trips back to the buffet cart are permitted (much to the cook's chagrin I suppose).

4) I experimented with various meats including seafood, including their wide selection of sauces and condiments. I personally found the tikka massala sauce to be the best, and you could even top the bowl with fried garlic flakes and/or satay sauce! Definitely a unique and worthwhile experience, especially if you go for the early bird menu (4.30pm-6pm) which is cheaper.

5) Our appetites satiated, we walked to Trinity. At first, the line leading to the Book of Kells seemed to stretch very long, but we were surprised that it moved so quickly. After barely 10 minutes of waiting (in the cold windy weather), we were ushered in. There was an exhibition of the various books, including the eponymous Book of Kells in a separate room.

6) According to the guide, the book is over 1400 years old, and was donated to the College during the 1600's. The glass encasing the book is temperature and light-regulated, and the entire floor descends into a vault at night, to prevent any would-be thefts! It was a really unique sight, but sadly we weren't allowed any photographs in the room.

7) We then proceeded up the stairs into The Long Room - famous for having inspired the "library" scene in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Adorning each pedestal on either side of the bookshelves were busts of famous people, including an elaborate statue of Jonathan Swift himself - the guy who wrote "Gulliver's Travels"!

8) After taking loads of pictures, we decided to call it a day. That is the highlight of my week so far, and if only I had more time (and energy XD), I would have explored more of the city. Anyway, that has been the summary of this edition of my blog, and thanks for reading. Have a lovely week ahead, cheers! :D

Food = Smiles :))

The Long Room

The Mongolian Barbeque

Spoilt for choice here

Live cooking for thy entertainment ^^

Can't wait to get started haha

Trinity College Dublin on a bright and sunny day

The long line to the entrance of the Book of Kells

The name says it all - well worth the wait imo

The Long Room!

Nobel Prize Certificate

The front facade/ quadrangle of the college

A day well spent

The Museum of Mischief - that certainly ain't no statue XD

Back to Europe's Most Advanced Clinical Simulation Suite - at RCSI! :)

DAY 740-745

Sept 12-17

1) Yet another week has passed, and with it we've accomplished a lot. For a start, Fresher's Week is well and truly underway. In actual fact, it's a fortnight of activity rather than a week's! So everyday is something new for the newcomers to RCSI, with each club/society taking turns to organise events to get to know everyone better.

2) The RCSI Cancer Society (in which I am fortunate enough to be Co-President) organised its own event as well - our very own Pink Party! Held at Opium (restaurant, bar, nightclub), all ticket sales go to charity (specifically Breast Cancer Ireland in aid of research). Before the event, we were given a chance to promote our society during the Clubs and Societies Sign-Up Day - which coincidentally was held on the same day.

3) Unfortunately, Sign-Up Day coincided with a majority of our lectures (for the IC2 students). This meant that the initial setting up and manning of the booth was done by the other committee members (who did an amazing job!). After our lessons at 5.30pm, I took the next bus to Eden Quay, got dinner, then took over the hour or so. There was a really vibrant atmosphere at the Sports Hall, with all the fresh new faces, and also the beautiful decor all around. Not to mention all the food and snacks in between!

4) We had over a hundred register interest in our societies - a fact that I'm really proud of. We also managed to sell a lot of tickets, and with everything else in place, there was only one thing left to do. The party would start at around 11pm, and the last bus home for me (from the city to Beaumont where I live) would be 11.30pm. There was literally no use going there for 15 minutes and then leaving; either I go the full monty or not go at all.

5) Now those who know me well will know that I'm not the party-type of person, but I decided to go regardless, because a) I didn't want to not go to a party organised by a society which I was committee of; b) it would most likely be the last time I would experience this type of atmosphere in Dublin (I don't expect to do this in Malaysia). So there was still the problem of what to do with the transport back - then I asked my friends if anyone was willing to let me spend the night at their place.

6) I was indeed fortunate that I had such kind friends who let me stay over at their house, so with that sorted, I went for the party with everyone. It was all great craig, although I abstained from any alcohol (hepatotoxicity is a real side effect of the medication that I'm currently on, secondary to my abysmal tolerance XD). At around half past one, we hired a six-seater back to my friends' house, where I spent the night.

7) Here's the thing - we had class the next day, at nine! Despite my best efforts, I made it at half past, only to find the attendance sheets being filled up. Thankfully, the sheets were left unattended even after the lectures, which allowed for some tempering with... As we were off Friday, the rest of the week has been mostly just me studying in the library, trying to catch up with the week's lectures as usual. That'll be it for this edition of my blog, thanks for visiting as always, and have a lovely week ahead. Cheers! :)

Clubs & Socs Sign-Up Day 2018!!!

Our lovely booth :))

All the sweet treats (plus laptop on the right for people to sign up!)

No sign up no food XD (jkjk)

If that spot of light were any closer I could star in a Colgate advert...

At Opium

Thanks so much guys for letting me spend the night over! <3

Lunch with my Trinidad & Tobago friends

(l-r: Myself, Joshua, Ishtar, Sarita)

If there's ever been a more clear cut case of psychotic tendency, I've yet to see it XD

Grilled salmon with roast potatoes and mixed vegetables - what a great combo :)

Vegetarian pie, with peas and chips - and a generous dollop of mayo :))

Pasta bolognese with a huge portion of corn - I simply love the colour contrast here ^^

DAY 738 & 739

Sept 10 & 11

1) The eagle-eyed among you would have noticed a change in the layout of the blog. That is because I wanted to keep things fresh, in line with a new start to the semester haha. Anyway, yesterday morning, before classes started, I had an appointment for a CT (computed tomography) scan at Beaumont Hospital, to monitor treatment progress. Fortunately, I was the first patient of the day, and shortly after the department opened (at 8.00am), I was called into the room.

2) A nurse introduced herself to me, confirmed that I was indeed the correct patient by asking my DOB and address (I think that's SOP), and proceeded to inform me that she would be jabbing two cannulas - one into each arm - just to balance things off haha. Jokes aside, the first cannula was placed in my right arm (cubital fossa) in order to administer a "saline chaser".

3) A quick introduction on radioimaging - specifically CT scanning in this case. Contrast medium (usually iodine/barium agents) is injected into a patent vein of the patient, to increase the contrast of the structures i.e. make them more visible. Many hospitals also administer what is known as a saline chaser, which is just saline solution, that a) allows reduction in contrast volume (thus reducing cost and risk of contrast-induced nephropathy), b) increases peak attenuation. So the cannula in my right arm was for the saline chaser injection (and removed right after), while the one in my left arm was left there so that the contrast medium could be injected just prior to the actual CT scan.

4) If only it were that simple. While the IV cannulation went smoothly in my left arm, things didn't go as well for my right. The cannula, once inserted, is supposed to remain there and not slip off. This, unfortunately, was not the case in my right arm. I watched as the needle pricked my right arm, slid off, was pushed back by the nurse, slid off again, and then she resorted to inserting it at an angle - turning left and right in futility. All this while, a trail of blood was slowly oozing out from the needle site...

5) After at least a minute of poking around, in and out, sideways - the cannula remained in place. The nurse asked if I was okay, and injected the saline solution. I like to think of myself as an easygoing person, but it would take a lot from me not to blurt out something a little more... colourful :)  Anyway, I was glad to be done with the prepping, and was sent out to wait for the actual CT scan. As expected, I was called almost immediately (as I was the first patient). The radiographer, Francis, was extremely friendly and we had a nice chat about phones.

6) He was looking to upgrade to a new phone and asked me the model and make of mine. He thought my Samsung was too large and cumbersome, and said he would probably stick to the smaller ones (my phone screen is extra large at 6"). Phones aside, this was my first CT scan as a patient, so everything was quite new for me. I was instructed to raise my hands as the bed was moved into the path of the scanning device (to allow for an unobstructed view of my chest). Within five minutes, the procedure was over.

7) I was advised to drink lots of water (a litre more than my normal intake for the day) to flush out all the contrast media. I came into the department at quarter to eight, was called in at five past, and finished at quarter to nine. Just in time to meet up with everyone for our first lecture at nine. What perfect timing - and testament to the amazing speed and efficiency of the Beaumont Hospital staff. Anyway, that has been my first (and rather unique) experience with CT scanning - more so a first-hand perspective. It has been an eventful two days, and thank you for visiting my blog as always. Have a nice day, cheers! :)

In contrast to the disaster on the right arm, there was little fanfare with the cannula in the left arm... :)

(contrast will soon be injected into my left vein and it leaves a warm sensation throughout the body (which is practically harmless and lasts only about half a minute or so))

Waiting Room 3 - Department for CT Scanning

SIEMENS CT-Scanning Device - if you look carefully at the bottom of the blue screen - my name is actually written there! XD

The most candid photo ever - a whacky selfie of me just before Francis commented on my XL sized phone XD

Lamb curry with carrots - absolutely delightful!

Beef stew with side of long beans and chips - very filling and a nice combination (traffic-light XD) of colours

A new (and slightly painful) experience for me :))

DAY 737

Sept 9

1) So, free from the shackles of an infectious disease, I am free to travel as I please again. And where better to go than the city centre? I had to buy medication from the pharmacy first, and after that it was the 27B bus to Eden Quay, as usual. I then proceeded to have buffet (my first in a while) lunch, and thereafter it was a nice stroll to the RCSI library. 

2) I haven't visited the library for more than a month, so it felt very good to be back. I used to spend the entire semester last year holed up in a particular spot in the library - studying till the wee hours of the night. I've also tried to cover some of the lectures next week, but without much success. I've found out that my attention span isn't good, and I easily get distracted after a while. 

3) On the bright side, it was nice seeing many familiar faces in the library - including our friends from the cohort below us. As you may know, they do not come to Beaumont (where we have our lectures) until the following year. So it was nice to meet up and chat with them. I went back a bit later than usual on Saturday (past nine), and finished that last bit of study for the day.

4) Today has been a relatively mundane day in the Beaumont Library. I came here in the morning, and have been here for the entire day. In the evening, I wanted to get dinner at the cafe downstairs, only to find that it was closed. Then I checked Northside, hoping to get a Subway or something - only to find that it was closing in half an hour. The last option was KFC - not that I was complaining. 

5) Halfway through my meal, I was approached by some rather friendly primary kids. They had been here for a while, a whole group unsupervised. They sat next to me, asking me where I came from and why I was here. Initially they thought I was a tourist, and then I explained that I had actually been studying here for a while. After a while, they left - leaving behind a rather fine mess of leftovers.

6) Anyway, I returned to the hospital, helped someone access the backdoor in (my RCSI keycard is OP if I'm honest, able to access many many keycard only areas) and made my way back to the library. That has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers! :)

The statue of Molly Malone - with a rather fancy black hat!

(I honestly don't know if it means anything)

Buffet lunch food haha

It's certainly been a while... ^^

Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream is just the perfect harmony of flavours!